Speeches
APOSTOLIC DIOCESE OF CEYLON
THE ADDRESS DELIVERED BY HON. PRIME MINISTER AT THE INAUGURATION CEREMONY
OF ADC, HELD IN JULY 2015
The inauguration of the Ceylon chapter of the Indian Apostolic mission is a very important day for a large number of free churches that have been functioning in our country to get the official recognition to carry out some of the duties conferred by state on Christian authorities. Therefore in a sense it gives an organizational network. On the other hand they are now free as churches to carry out their own form of worship. After all, the survival of Christianity after the Crucifixion of Lord Jesus Christ was due to these small independent churches which were strong enough to withstand the forces of persecution in Europe and then to establish the bishopric of Rome. But in the Middle East and the orient it was not so; the free churches grew and spread all the way to China. It came down to Kerala and even to Sri Lanka. You find in Anuradhapura the Nestorian Cross; if you go down the silk route the Nestorian churches and free churches flourished until Islam took over. The place of worship both of the Nestorians the Buddhists and other religions survived until in the 19th century. Nevertheless it showed a flourishing Christian culture not attached in any way to the European churches – some free churches, some belonging to a more lose configuration of what we now call the different Nestorian and other churches that were established.
Nevertheless the government headed by President Maithreepala Sirisena is committed to safeguarding and upholding the right of worship and that applies to all of you. We cannot have extremists coming and tearing down places of worship because no religion has said to destroy the places of worship that belong to other religions. The great emperor Asoka who was the greatest Buddhist emperor has stated time and again in his pillars that people of all faiths should be free to worship within his empire, and we in Sri Lanka are carrying that tradition. So if someone comes and says that their religion can exist only by destroying others then he wouldn’t belong to that religion – certainly not to Buddhism. There is no ground for us to see a destruction of any place of worship. In fact before the Portuguese came there were different conquerors in different areas but they never destroyed the places of worship of other religions. They sought to win them over.
We are committed to the International Covenant on Human Rights to uphold those provisions of the freedom of religion and even to go further in helping the religion. There are different views of how the state and religion is separated. Sri Lanka is a democratic state but we have to remember the representatives belonging to different religions; therefore we allow them to help themselves through the different ministries, the political executive ministries and their branches for Buddhist affairs, Hindu affairs, Islam affairs and Christian affairs. I hope this will enable you to play your full part in the organizations of the Ministry for Christian affairs.
I wish you all the best in carrying the message of the Lord in our country.
THE CHIEF OF THE INA BISHOP PAUL T. MARAN’S SPEECH
The Bishop commenced his speech with prayer in thanksgiving to God for the setting up of the ADC (Apostolic Diocese of Ceylon) and invoked the blessings of the Blood of Christ towards the leaders of the nation.
On this wonderful day I would like to speak a few words about the Apostolic Diocese of Ceylon, which is the Sri Lanka chapter of the INA. The time has come to stand up as a Free Church and as servants of God. Since 1991, the Lord has instructed me to provide legal authority and backing to the Free Churches that have worked relentlessly to bring many into the Kingdom.
We know that the governments of the world have commissioned their full support to all established religious institutions to function in their faiths. However we believe that a proper organizational structure is necessary for the Free Churches as well, if they are to enjoy the same freedom and privileges. The INA and the ADC (Apostolic Diocese of Ceylon) work towards achieving this goal, but they need to be recognised as a licensed authority by the government. Many people carry revelation on the Word of God, but few of these have the necessary education or theological backing to fortify their place in the Kingdom. The Lord gave me the wisdom and showed me the way to educate such persons and appoint them as pastors and priests. The Lord has so far instructed me to educate and appoint about 12,000 such Independent preachers and pastors. In India the INA has given a legal framework and government approval for the Free Churches of 22 states, and this in turn has given them the respect and authority they deserved. They now operate under the umbrella of the INA, and are able to work in a safe and conflict free environment. We give all glory to our Lord God and to His Son Jesus Christ, thorugh whom all things are possible. I pray that the same blessings that the INA is now walking under will come to the ADC as well. The INA also has government approved education and degree programs for pastors and preachers. These are of very high standard; the INAD Open University Certificate is a valid qualification and even a letter of recommendation by the diocese has a far reaching influence.
I also would like to tell you about two very important people who helped to expand the INA to Sri Lanka and other nations. Firstly as a group are those that persecute us; they helped us to move forward in Christ. They are like the prodigal sons who will one day return to the Father. Because what we are doing is the work of God; we are serving God and we thank God for the prodigal sons, who are also there to assist in the mission of the Lord. The other person is the Chief Overseer of the ADC (Apostolic Diocese of Ceylon) Rt. Rev. Dr. Kirby De Lanerolle. We bless Rt. Rev. Dr. Kirby we thank the Lord for the revelation upon his life and bless him for the work of the ADC, which we believe will one day be of a higher level even than the INA. We also thank International Overseer of the INA, Rev. Dr. Tony Abraham whom the Lord has used to facilitate this union between Sri Lanka and India.
Today the certificate that we are going to give you is even accepted by the government. The Free Churches now have an Episcopal authority which gives them structure. We bless you all in Jesus’ Mighty name.
Bishop Paul T. Maran is the head of the INA Today the Diocese has over 11,500 churches registered under its criteria with Episcopal clergy rights and a growing number in the neighboring Nations under the parental recognition of INA International synod.
